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1980s Technology Research Paper

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Technology of the 1980s shaped the modern world today. The "go-go eighties" had the greatest inventions along with an improvement with the internet. It also had the greatest toys for children that caught on and are still known today. According to the article titled, "1980s News, Events, Popular Culture, and Prices," the greatest inventions were game machines, portable color television, under counter dishwasher, compact refrigerator-freezer, solar power lamp, fruit and vegetable peel, outdoor gas grill, space saver microwave, stereo sound television, Timex Sinclair color computer, counter craft toaster, oven range, Mr. coffee machine, projection screen television, commodore computer system, portable camcorder, audio video rack system, clock …show more content…

According to Kallen, the CD was among the list of the most popular invention as well in the 1980s because it had a higher quality than cassettes and vinyl records. It was also more technologically advanced because it used laser technology to produce music (Kallen). Computers were also all the rage and with it came the internet. "The 80's signaled the start of the computer age, following on from the creation of Microsoft and Apple towards the end of the 70's, the technology and the speed of innovation both in Hardware and Software together with the cheapness provided a speed of growth and take up. The birth of the IBM PC signaled the start of Personal Computers first in the Offices and then into peoples homes becoming an integral part of our lives. Following on from Microsoft MSDOS on PC's to the first versions of Windows a GUI Graphical User Interface. As well as the Hardware and Software changes a new technology was evolving starting as Bulletin Boards later to become what we now know as the Internet invented by English physicist Tim Berners and the beginnings of the World Wide Web" (1980s News, Events, Popular Culture, and …show more content…

As technology moved forward in the "go-go eighties," so did the toys. In the article, "The 1980s: American Pop Culture," the toys of the 1980s included Huggable Glo-Worm, Transformers, Atari 5200, Legos, Matchbox car sets, Barbie, Weebles House at Pooh Corners, Dukes of Hazzard, Verbot, Omnibot 2000, Rainbow Bright, Care Bears, and Sega Genesis. According to Craats, other toys included Cabbage Patch Dolls and the Rubik's Cube. "The popular toys of the decade also signaled the age of the video game in arcades, Game Machines, PC's the most popular games being Space Invaders and Pac Man plus talking dolls were all the rage and at the end of the decade children's very own Sony Walkmans, Talking Alf, Star Wars Figures, Pound Puppies, My Little Pony and Mr and Mrs Potato Head" (1980s News, Events, Popular Culture, and Prices). According to the article titled, "The 1980s: American Pop Culture History," video games manufactured by Nintendo and Sega also became popular and more advanced. Although it may not seem like much, all of these minor advances in inventions, technology and even in toys paved the way to where the modern world is

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